YOU MUST BE DREAMING
Run the Rogue River during the day and listen to classical music while sipping merlot and listening to Mozart on a trip that includes wine tasting, Baroque music and gourmet California cuisine with James Henry River Journeys. Five days on the water through the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon, with time to swim between the patches of raging whitewater, while each night brings camping along the banks and places to hike or run for extra exercise. Once off the river each day, snack on appetizers and sample the products of Sonoma County-based Ravenswood Winery. Then Baroque and Celtic flutist Rachel Streeter plays during dinner, which could include such upscale meals as wild salmon, pasta and lamb. The rafting is manageable for first-timers and enjoyable for veteran river runners, with singles, couples and families welcome, and River Journeys staff tailors the trip to all levels, offering both regular rafts and inflatable kayaks. The trip departs Sept. 16 from Galice, Ore., and costs $960 per person, which includes on-river meals, guides, rafts and transportation back to Galice. Call 800-786-1830 or visit riverjourneys.com.
GEARING UP
Outdoor tableware needs to be pretty hardy, able to withstand being flung around, scraped and covered with hot, sticky s’mores goo. Don’t let the plastic looks of the X2 set from GSI fool you – it’s surprisingly sturdy, made from Lexan, a thick, resiliant, food-grade polycarbonate that also resists scratching and cleans up easily. Four settings – a cup with a hook handle, plate and bowl – stack into a serving platter that also works as a lid and a decent-sized bowl, and the whole thing packs into a mesh bag perfect for hanging from a tree for drying. Wash by hand, not the dishwasher, and you won’t need to scrub hard, because stuff comes right off. The only thing the Lexan does tend to hang onto is grease, so try to keep it separate from pots and pans at wash time. The X2 comes in blue, orange and multicolored and weighs 3 lbs., 14 oz. | $29.50 and up, local REI stores, rei.com, llbean.com
BOOK YOUR VACATION
For serious antiques collectors, entire vacations can be planned around the hunt, with destinations chosen for their proximity to top dealers, number of flea markets or reputation for found treasures. “Antiquing Weekends: 52 Excursions Across America” ($24.95, Universe Publishing) by Gladys Montgomery is a pretty package that divides trips into known antiquing hotbeds around the country, areas such as the Berkshires and Nashville, New York’s Hudson Valley and Washington’s Puget Sound. Within each section Montgomery lavishly describes the setup: number of dealers, the big shows and when, the best shops, which towns give up the goods. Color photos depict the lodgings Montgomery offers up as her favorites, which are listed along with a smattering of “before you go” must-see websites. The back of the book is a comprehensive listing of antiquing venues in each of the areas, with simple, one-line descriptions of each place’s specialty, such as “Country, cottage & shabby chic home furnishings” or “Period English & American decorative arts.” Denver and Colorado Springs get a nice nod.
lastminutegolfer.com
Not the type who books everything six weeks ahead when you travel? Not to worry – this site is set up for the procrastinator who wants to save, with discounts on next-day reservations (and every once in a while, a week or two in advance) in 14 states (not Colorado) and parts of Canada. What makes it most convenient is that you can look at available tee times for multiple courses after plugging in the location, and then choose the time and course. Savings seem to average between $10 and $40 per golfer, with extra-special discounts posted and helpful tips about the area coming up on the first screen. Courses are booked through the site, which makes all fees clear and awards “frequent golfer yards” that are redeemable for further discounts. You can also track tee times, handicap and stats, check out a map of all the courses offering next-day tee times, and look at links for rental equipment, driving ranges, lessons and other golf-related items for each area. Golf events are posted for signup too.
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS | Winners of the “World’s Best” Awards
Travel + Leisure’s 2006 World’s Best Award Readers’ Survey winners. Following were named the “World’s Best”
Hotel: Singita Private Game Reserve, South Africa
City: Florence
Island: Bali
Large-Ship Cruise Line: Crystal Cruises
Small-Ship Cruise Line: Yachts of Seabourn
Tour Operator/Safari Outfitter: Micato Safaris
Domestic Airline: JetBlue Airways
International Airline: Sing- apore Airlines
Car Rental Agency: Hertz
Hotel for $250 or Less: Inn at Montchanin Village, Delaware
Destination Spa: Chiva-Som International Health Resorts, Thailand
Hotels by region: Continental U.S., Canada: The Aerie, Vancouver Island
Hawaii: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai
Caribbean/Bermuda/Bahamas: Waterloo House, Bermuda
Europe: Inverlochy Castle, Scotland
Asia: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
Australia/New Zealand/S. Pacific: Huka Lodge, New Zealand
Africa/Middle East: Singita Private Game Reserve
Mexico/Central/South America: Ritz-Carlton, Santiago
Hotel spas by region
U.S./Canada: Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes
Europe: Villa d’Este, Italy
Caribbean: Parrot Cay and Shambala Retreat, Turks and Caicos
Asia/Pacific/Africa/Middle East: Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai
Mexico/Central/South America: Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
Visit travelandleisure.com/worldsbest for the full list.
GEO QUIZ
1. The Chuuk and Yap islands are part of what country in the Pacific Ocean?
2. One of the urban centers in the South Pacific Islands is Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. This city is located on which island?
3. The summits of the world’s five highest volcanoes are located in which mountain system in the Western Hemisphere?
4. In October 2004, scientists reported the discovery of a dwarf human species that lived about 18,000 years ago on the island of Flores in which Southeast Asian country?
5. In November 2004, the United Nations Security Council met in Africa to promote peace in the Darfur region in which country?
6. The Pribilof Islands, named for the Russian explorer and navigator who discovered fur seal rookeries there, are located in which sea?
7. Which African capital city is only 150 miles from Sicily?
8. France’s aviation industry is centered in what city on the Garonne River?
9. The Lower Tunguska and the Angara rivers are among the chief tributaries of Russia’s largest river in terms of volume. Name this river.
10. Which country bordering Gabon and Cameroon is the only African country with Spanish as an official language?
ANSWERS: 1. Federated States of Micronesia 2. Tahiti 3. Andes Mountains 4. Indonesia 5. Sudan 6. Bering Sea 7. Tunis 8.Toulouse 9. Yenisey River 10. Equatorial Guinea
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
